The Persistence of Exceptionalism: Class Formation and the Comparative Method

A true historical perennial, American exceptionalism shows no signs of losing its emotive power. Despite the institutionalisation of social history and the growth of rigorously comparative fields of enquiry, exceptionalism continues to beguile, frustrate, and excite students of the American past. Declared dead at periodic intervals, this is a corpse that continually springs back to life, calling f…